Mechanic&#39;s trestle.



F. L. GILLETT.

MECHANICS TRESTLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-25,1916.

Patented July 18, 1916.

F. L. GILLETT MECHANICS TRESTLB,

APPLICATION FILED APR.25, 191s.

Patented July .18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTOR/VEYS FRED L. GILLETT, OF'MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

MEGHANICS TRESTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July is, 1916.

Application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED L. GILLEIIT, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Mechanics Trestle, of which thefollowing'is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to mechanics trestles and has particularreference to a device of this character adapted for many different andspecific operations, and embodying features of construction whereby itis capable of use not only by different workmen, but for many difierentpurposes. More definitely stated, one of the objects of the invention isto provide a trestle com prising two relatively movable side partshinged together in a vertical central plane and adapted to be locked ingripping position as a result of the introduction of a board or otherdevice between the aw portions of said sides.

Another object of the invention is to provide a'trestle for use by acarpenter, which when set in erect position upon the floor willautomatically assume a definite rigid form, adapting it for'the purposeof taking the place of an ordinary miter box for sawing either a rightor a' left miter as well as a square cut, the saw being guided betweenthe jaw portions of the trestle and also being held by the trestle whilethe work 7 is being changed from one form of out to the other, so as toalways be in place for a succeeding out.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trestle having means formanipulating it from either side and also of an easily collapsiblenature for transportation and storage purposes, and providingfurthermore a compartment for the workmans ordinary hand tools while thetrestle is in collapsed and portable position or form.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, inwhich like reference characters designate thesame parts in the several views, and in whichf Figure 1 is a perspectiveview indicating the trestle in normal erect position with the awsadjacent each other; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of thesame; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the device folded'or collapsed ready for transportatlon or storage; Fig. 4 is a verticallongitudinal central section indicating the adaptation of the device forholding the edge of a door for the application of av mortise lock or thelike and providing at the same time, a seat for the workman and a shelfbeneath the seat for the tools usually used; and Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of the device indicating its adaptation for the holding of ariser of any suitable form or height.

The trestle is shown herein as comprising a pair of side parts A and Bof substantially equal form of construction. Each side part includes apair of legs 10 having their upper ends connected by a longitudinal jawpiece 11 and provided'below the j aw with a shelf member 12 havingconnected to its outer edge a flange member 13, shown as projectingdownwardly from the shelf member and mortised into the outer edges ofthe legs bringing its outer surface flush with said outer edges.

The shelf members 12 of the opposite parts of the trestle are connectedby hinges 14 whose axes lies in alinement with each other in thevertical plane of the meeting edges ofthe shelf members 12. The upperends of the legs 10 are beveled as shown at w 10 above the axis of thehinges 14. to permit the jaws 11 to come close together when the lowerends of the legs are separated on opposite sides of the verticallongitudinal plane. I prefer, however, that the aws do not come intoactual contact with each other, th swinging movement of the legs in thisdirection being limited by two pairs of toggle levers 15 at the oppositeends of the tiestle. Each toggle lever is shown pivoted at 16 at theleft hand side of the lower end of a leg 10, the free end of the leverextending thence upwardly or across into cooperation with the oppositeleg lying in the same plane as the leg to which the lever-is pivoted.The toggle links of each pair are thus spaced from each other on theopposite sides of the end legs and are pivoted together by a bolt thelegs or into the space formed by the beveling of the legs at 10 Atransverse cleat 19 is secured to the inner face of each plunger 18 andthe transverse cleat cooperates with the inner faces of the end legs,whereby the plunger is prevented from tilting outwardly. The inwardmovement of each plunger furthermore is prevented in a direction towardthe opposite plunger by contact between the upper end of the plunger andthe ends of the shelf members 12.

Having thus set forth the mechanical construction of my improvedtrestle, I will now briefly set forth a few of its advantages and meansof operation, as shown in Fig. 1, the device is adapted to standsquarely and firmly upon the floor as would be determined by thespreading apart of the lower ends of the legs. This spreading may beeffected by downward pressure upon the free ends of the toggle levers 15at either side of the device. Such movement is stopped by a lug 20formed upon any of the legs 10. The spreading also may be effected byclownward pressure upon the upper ends of the plungers 18, either by thehand of the operator or by means of a board or other device indicated at21. This board may represent a board to be dressed or otherwise workedwhile being clamped between the jaws 11, or it may constitute a riserfor transforming the trestle into a support for a drawing board 22, or aplatform for supporting the workman or work to be performed by him. Whenused as a clamp with the aws 11 gripping the board or riser 21, theintroduction of the board or riser into place upon the plungers willforce the plungers down wardly. The downward movement of the plungerswill straighten the toggle levers and hence automatically cause apowerful gripping of the jaws upon the sides of the board. The greaterthe downward pressure applied upon the board while working upon it, thegreater will be the gripping effect.

When, however, the trestle is not used as a clamp and is standing innormal erect position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with a slight spacebetween the jaws, it is adapted primarily to take the place of a miterbox, the saw being adapted to operate vertically between the jaws andthrough the crack between the shelf members 12. The saw is thus guidedin the vertical plane above referred to by cotiperation with both thejaws and the shelf members, and also is always held by the trestle inthis plane while the workman is preparing the material to be cut ormitered. The upper surfaces of the jaws lie in the same plane when thetrestle is in its normal'position and said surfaces are scored bytransverse and diagonal marks 23 and 24, representing the positions inwhich the material may be held for cutting transverse and miter cuts,when the material is held temporarily against a pair of pins not shown,but which are adapted to be stuck into holes 25 formed in the jawsadjacent the ends of the scores. In other words, for mitering of theoppositeends of a piece of picture molding, pins Wlll be stuck in theholes at the ends of the diagonal marks The molding will be held thenagainst one pair of pins to form the right hand miter and then againstthe other pair of pins for the cutting of the other miter, but all thistime the saw will be held in the place already indicated. Obviously forforming a transverse out, the work will be held against a pair of pinsstuck in the ends of the score 23.

As shown in Fig. 8, the device in collapsed position is easily handledand occupies a minimum amount of space and in this position the crackbetween the shelf members 12 is of the minimum width, adapting thedevice as a compartment for holding the usual workmans tools while he iscarrying the trestle inverted from one place to another. Likewise itwill be noted that while the device is used as a holder for the edge ofa door, as shown in Fig. 4., the jaws serve as a seat for the operatorand the shelf members 12 will support his tools. The door is adapted tobe gripped by being received in the enlarged portion 26 at one end ofthe jaws.

I claim:

1. The herein described trestle comprising two similar side parts, eachside part comprising a pair of legs, a aw member secured to the upperends of said legs and a shelf member below the jaw members, hingesconnected to the shelf members for securing the said parts together forrelative movement of the jaws toward or from each other, and pairs oftoggle levers connected to the lower ends of the legs to move the jawsforcibly toward each other.

2. The herein described mechanics trestle comprising the combination ofa pair of similar side parts, each side part comprising a pair of legs,a aw member connected to the upper ends of the legs, a shelf mem berbeneath the jaw and a side flange meeting the outer edge of the shelfmember, a pair of hinges connecting the shelf members with their inneredges adjacent each other whereby the side parts are adapted to moverelatively to each other around a longitudinal axis, said shelf membersand side flanges forming a tool holder when the trestle is collapsed,connections between the opposite legs of the several parts, and meansmovable downwardly at the end of the shelf members to actuate saidconnections to spread the legs, substantially as set forth.

3. The herein described trestle compris- 1ng supporting members movabletoward and from each other, a pair of jaws connected to the upper endsof said supporting members and movable relatively to each other as aresult of the aforesaid movement of the supporting members, said jawslying substantially in the same plane when closest together and providedwith horizontal and diagonal marks and having pin holes at the ends ofthe marks, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein described trestle comprising supporting members, hingesconnecting the supporting members for movement relatively to each otheraround a longitudinal central axis, a pair of jaws connected to theupper ends of the supporting members and movable relatively to eachother, pairs of toggle levers connecting the lower ends of thesupporting members, a vertical plunger pivotally connected to each pairof toggle levers, the upper ends of the plungers eX-' tending into thespaces between and beneath said jaws in position to be engaged andforced downwardly by an article to be held between the jaws, and meansto maintain the plungers in upright position.

FRED L. GILLETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

